Back in action
How good governance can help more people get active
GOVERNANCE
Image: Sport England
Nick Pontefract
COO, Sport England
COVID-19 has had a profound impact on every area in our lives, including our relationship with sport and physical activity. Our research shows that activity levels dropped significantly in those first few weeks of lockdown as gyms and sports clubs closed, and people were only allowed out to exercise once a day – although we did see increases in outdoor running, home exercise and cycling for leisure or sport.
We were all affected by the pandemic, but not everyone was affected equally. People from lower-socio economic groups, from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and disabled people are finding it harder than most to get active at the moment. What is particularly worrying is that these were already groups with lower activity levels than the rest of the population pre-COVID-19. Some of the gains and successes the sport and physical activity sector have made in attracting them are at risk of being lost if we don’t have a laser focus on helping them.
Supporting everyone to be active
When the lockdown restrictions were eased, we worked closely with partners and the government to get sport and physical activity back up and running. We wanted not only to increase the number of options the nation has to get active, but to help sustain the many organisations in the sector which provide those opportunities. Within two weeks of the initial lockdown we had launched a £210 million package of support for sport and physical activity, as well as wide-ranging financial flexibilities for all the organisations we already fund to allow them to adapt as the pandemic affected their operations.
Within this was a £20 million Tackling Inequalities Fund focused specifically on audiences worst affected by COVID-19. In addition, in October, we launched a Return to Play fund worth £16.5 million offering support to organisations to keep going – again focusing on those groups hardest hit.
Sport England financial support during COVID-19
£210 million
overall package
£20 million
Tackling Inequalities Fund (within the £210 million)
£16.5 million
Return to Play fund
Governance Code review
Our support is about more than finances though. We have launched a review of the Code for Sports Governance, which sets out the levels of transparency, accountability and financial integrity that are required from those who ask for government and National Lottery funding.
It will include a general review of the Code, drawing on over three years’ experience of using it and with more than 200 bodies now having been assessed, as well as a check against current governance best practice from other sectors. Crucially it will include a substantive review of elements that support equality, diversity and inclusion. This will include those focused on the boards of sporting organisations, aimed at ensuring greater representation of those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and those with a disability or long-term health condition.
“Good governance is arguably never more important than in times of crisis. It provides the foundation for a high-performing organisation, improves stakeholder confidence, and ensures that the organisation has the leadership and resources in place to respond to a changing environment”
Representation focus
There is a wealth of research showing that diverse boards make better decisions. As such, we believe that having a better representation of our diverse population on the boards of national governing bodies and other sport sector organisations, will help us drive greater participation among those underrepresented groups.
Good governance is arguably never more important than in times of crisis. It provides the foundation for a high-performing organisation, improves stakeholder confidence, and ensures that the organisation has the leadership and resources in place to respond to a changing environment.
As we consult on the Code for Sports Governance, we are being sensitive to the fact that survival is an issue for some governing bodies – particularly with further restrictions now reintroduced. But we are also not losing sight of the fact we don’t want to return to the same problems and inequalities that we had before COVID-19. And as we build back, we want the sport and physical activity sector to think about how to cater for those groups that stand to benefit the most from being active.
